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The Kecak fire dance offers a totally different nightlife scene, head down to the open amphitheatre beside the Uluwatu Temple which showcases the famous Kecak fire dance at sunset. The show uses the dramatic sunset as its backdrop, and in the middle of the stage is a standing torch that adds to the dramatic appeal of the show while a large group of a hundred male dancers surround the fire while vigorously chanting the chorus that gave the dance its name. Performers in vibrant costumes act out several episodes from the Ramayana epic namely as Lord Rama, his consort Dewi Sita, the evil king Rahwana, and several jesters that unpredictably jump into the audience to interact and have fun, while adding comic relief to the show.

What makes the Kecak fire dance special is that the accompanying music is provided by the human voice, the gamelan suara, a choir of a hundred men or more sitting in concentric circles, swaying, standing up, lying prone as the story develops.Amongst the swaying masses the voices of the storytellers can be heard telling the unfolding tale.

The story is a fragment from the Ramayana, the Hindu epic which finds its expression in many forms, not only in kacak fire dance, but also in painting and carving. Prince Rama, heir to the throne of the kingdom of Ayodya, and his wife Sita have been banished from the kingdom by King Dasarata as a result of trickery by Rama’s stepmother. The story begins with the arrival of Rama and Sita accompanied by Rama’s brother Laksmana in the forest of Dandaka and finishes with

The bird Garuda, King of all the bird, a good friend of King Dasarata, has observed trouble Rama is in from high up in the sky and comes to the rescue freeing the brothers from the ropes. Rama and Laksamana continue on their way to rescue Sita and are joined by Sugriwa, king of the monkeyes, and his monkeys army.

This fragment of the Ramayana come to an end with the battle between Sugriwa and his Monkeys Army and Meganada and his Demon Army which ends with the defeat of Meganada.